Fennymore's Caterham on the Double at Donington

21 May 2006

Twin wins in the driving rain this weekend (20/21 May) brought Graham Fennymore and his Ambitions Racing Team a slender early points lead in the Autosport Caterham Superlight Challenge.

Fennymore, a winner nine times from 10 starts last year on his way to the Caterham Roadsport A crown, made the most of the tricky conditions to claim what were the maiden UK championship wins for the new Cosworth-powered Caterham. Patrick Gormley, meanwhile, was the weekend's double victor in the R400 class.

A sudden change in the weather did its best to dampen proceedings in Saturday's opener, but the Superlights nevertheless staged a superb show in the driving rain with a four-car battle for victory for much of the race and several changes of lead.

Oxfordshire-based Fennymore was a deserving but slightly fortunate victor, race-stopping red flags bringing a premature end to proceedings after a deluge had sent him, and others, careering off the track.

Graham's Hyperion Motorsport-prepared machine started from the pole and he made an excellent start to the race in the dry, but when the heavens opened on lap two Fennymore was powerless to prevent a determined Rachel Green and her Fauldsport Superlight from seizing the lead.

Rachel stayed in front for two laps before Fennymore managed to fight back to the top, Graham then pulling out a second's gap as Rachel fought off the attentions of reigning champion Will Mitcham and Ben de Zille Butler.

A fascinating battle was brought to a premature close by the rain which, on the 16th lap, became a deluge. Both Green and de Zille Butler slithered off track, Rachel slipping to third and Ben to eighth, as Fennymore struggled not only to keep his lead but also simply to stay on the track. Race organisers decided that enough was enough.

"At the moment the red flags came out I was slithering through the gravel trap at Old Hall corner," said Fennymore. "I was so glad to see them. My car was set up for the dry, and it was just about undrivable."

Red flag regulations require the results to be wound back a lap, so Hertfordshire's Green was classified second and Suffolk racers Mitcham and de Zille Butler third and fourth respectively. "The conditions were crazy," said Rachel, "I just had to let Graham go and concentrate on staying on the circuit. I was absolutely delighted when they stopped the race."

The only man not pleased was Mitcham: "First Rachel went off, then Graham, and that put me in front… Then out came the red flags. It's disappointing but that's the way it goes."

Londoner Mike Cantillon claimed fifth, just ahead of his Team Parker Racing team-mate Charles Bateman (Boston), who drove well from 16th on the grid after gearbox problems in qualifying. Guy Harrington was seventh despite gear selection problems, with Simon Crompton, James Gardiner, Tony Poole and Jamie Constable rounding out the top 11. Patrick Gormley was 12th overall and the leading finisher in the R400 class.

Sunday's race was no drier but at least the competitors were this time prepared for the worst. Fennymore found his car's handling much more to his liking and was able once more to romp into an early lead, pursued by Green.

But some pre-race modifications to Rachel's car left her struggling to match Fennymore's pace. In successive laps she was demoted by Crompton, de Zille Butler and Cantillon and found herself powerless to fight back.

Mitcham and Harrington soon joined the frontrunning fray to make it six-way battle for victory for several laps, until Cantillon spun at Redgate Corner and slipped back, joining Green in a battle for sixth which would endure to the flag. Crompton, Fennymore and de Zille Butler traded the lead lap after lap and, as so often is the case in Caterham racing, the dispute wasn't settled until the final corner.

But Fennymore had an answer to everything his trio of rivals could throw at him and emerged in front to cross the line less than two-tenths ahead of de Zille Butler. "My plan was to leave things till late and then to have a go," said Ben, "but Graham got the better of me."

Said Fennymore: "It was a really difficult race because the conditions were changing by the lap. Ben had a good go at me on the last lap but I managed to fend him off. The new car is absolutely great, and I'm loving having so much power under my right foot."

Tunbridge Wells-based Crompton was delighted with third, his best ever UK championship result: "I had a very bad qualifying and struggled in the first race. Everything came together for me this time though." Harrington was similarly pleased with his fourth spot, half a second behind the winner.

Like Green, Mitcham made some set-up changes to his car which did not help him in the driving rain; he finished fifth, with Cantillon beating Green to sixth. Gardiner was eighth on home ground and Londoner Gormley an excellent ninth to once again claim the R400 class honours.

Bateman found himself languishing down in 18th on the opening lap after stalling away from the line; his fight back to 10th by flag fall was a highlight of the race.

See series calendars for all 2006 Caterham Championships

Related Story 06.05.2006 - Mitcham Back on Track to Defend his Caterham Title